There'll Be Time Enough For Sadness When You Leave Me
by djenie
Summary: I think the title says it well. Thanks to Kris Kristofferson. Of course, things change. Jack/Sam/Pete, SG1, Cassie
1. Chapter 1

**A/N; It might have ended this way.**

THERE'LL BE TIME ENOUGH FOR SADNESS WHEN YOU LEAVE ME

One last team night. Just the four of them, Daniel had said. Sam had got the message. _Don't bring Pete. Bad enough you're leaving to marry him and live in Denver. Leaving the team, leaving SG-1. Let us have you to ourselves for just this one more night._

She resented Daniel for that. But at the same time, she understood. The relationship the four of them had was special. It was ending; they needed to say good-bye. Pete had no part in that. He didn't belong.

But she loved Pete! He was a good man; they should have been able to accept him just on that basis! She was angry on his behalf.

Still, she needed to say good-bye, too. And if Pete were there, he would claim her full attention, and she wouldn't be able to do that properly.

She sighed and looked around her lab. Most of her personal things were gone. It wasn't her lab anymore. Tomorrow it would belong to one of the other scientists. Tomorrow her life was changing. She was moving into the apartment in Denver. She had a great job waiting for her with a Denver-based research company. In three weeks she was going to marry the man she loved. She was happy! Very happy.

At O'Neill's house the four of them ate pizza and drank beer, and laughed and told jokes and stories. Just like they always did on team nights. She saw the occasional sadness in Daniel and Teal'c's expressions, but the Colonel was in a good mood and he was obviously enjoying himself. He talked to her a lot and she caught his eyes on her more than once; he talked to her more than she ever remembered him doing before.

It got very late. Daniel had too much to drink and fell asleep in the recliner. Teal'c excused himself and went into O'Neill's spare room and closed the door.

Sam and O'Neill sat on the deck and talked and talked. And finally the night passed and the sun was coming up.

The Colonel drew a deep breath. "I guess it's time," he said.

"Time for what?" she asked.

"Time for you to leave, Sam."

She stared at him. "If only..." she whispered.

He cocked his head to one side. "If only... what, Sam?"

She dropped her gaze. "Nothing." She stood up. "You're right. It's time for me to go."

"Do you need a ride?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. I have my car. Good-bye, Sir."

"Good-bye, Carter."

He walked with her to the door, stood on the stoop as she got in her car and drove away. For a long time, he watched the spot where she had disappeared. Tears stood in his eyes. He thought of all the time for sadness ahead of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone. Thanks so much for the reviews! I decided I wasn't satisfied with it like that. **

**Chapter 2**

LOVIN' HER WAS EASIER THAN ANYTHING I'LL EVER DO AGAIN

His vision blurred as Jack saw Sam drive away from his house. Out of his life forever. And there was nothing he could do about it.

He sat down on the front step and watched the sky brighten with sunrise. The day was going to be clear and warm. A perfect day for a picnic, a game of baseball, a ride in the country. He was going to spend it twenty-seven floors underground, where day or night, wind or sun, did not matter. Suddenly, that was an oppressive thought. Because he would never again come around a corner and see her face.

Jack had a whole album of pictures of Carter's face locked in his mind. She had so many looks.

There was her defiant look; "...and just because my reproductive organs are on the inside..."

Her hungry look; "I want you... you want me...?"

Her geeky look; "...and once I've connected the micro crystals and the sub-calipers to the astro-conduit, everything..."

That huge-eyed innocent look; "...no idea what you mean..."

The wounded look; "...thanks... for being here..."

Conspiracy; "...keep it in this room..."

Bravery; "...I couldn't abandon her..."

Fear; "...please! Go! Before the C-4..."

Jolinar; "I shall attempt to save her life..."

Carter, bent over her desk, a look of concentration on her features.

Laughing out loud at one of Daniel's almost-funny jokes.

'Thera' resting her head on 'Jonah's' shoulder.

Dropping her eyes and turning away as the alternate reality Sam kissed him.

Flashing that amazing smile at him across the conference table.

Sobbing in his arms after the death of Janet Fraiser.

Closing her eyes to savor the taste of a piece of chocolate.

Begging him not to leave her as his consciousness faded in the Ancients' cryosleep chamber.

Trying to suppress a huge grin as he pinned the oak leaf on her uniform.

Dressed as a hippy on their trip back in time.

And it went on and on. In every corner of his mind there was a picture of Carter. He sighed and dropped his head in his hands. She was so easy to love...

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**A/N I have **_**got **_**to get these Kristofferson songs out of my head! Just bear with me a little bit longer.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter has a little rough language. Maybe a T rating.**

**Thank you to all the reviewers! I appreciate it so much!**

**Yep, another Kris K song. **

**Note; mistake in the previous chapter—I called O'Neill a Colonel, it should have been General. Sorry.**

NOTHIN' AIN'T WORTH NOTHIN'

Sam drove slowly away from O'Neill's house. In her rearview mirror, she watched him standing on his front step, until finally she had to make a right turn onto another street. After that, she let the tears she'd been holding back trickle down her cheeks.

She was halfway home when her phone rang. She put her cell on speaker.

"Hello."

"Where the hell are you!?" The angry voice filled the car.

"Pete?" She was startled; he'd never used such a tone with her.

"Were you expecting somebody else? One of you good buddies, maybe? Where are you? And where were you all night?"

"How do you know I was out all night?" she demanded.

"Because I've been at your house waiting for you since eleven," he almost snarled. "I fell asleep on the couch and just woke up a few minutes ago—and you're still not home! _Where the hell have you been?!"_

"I'm on my way home." Her voice had hardened, as irritation surfaced. "And you know where I've been. I told you I was going to General O'Neill's with SG-1."

"_All god-damned night!?"_

"What of it!?"

"I told you, _I've_ been waiting for you _here!_" The tone in his voice sent a ripple of anger down her spine.

"We didn't make plans for you to go to my house, Pete," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "And I don't appreciate you going in when I didn't expect you to."

"We're getting married, Sam! What does it matter if I'm in your house?"

"It matters to _me,_ because it's _my_ house!" She snapped. "And we're not married _yet!_ Even if we were, you have no right to violate my privacy!"

"What god-damned privacy? You took my ring! That says you're mine!"

"What? Are you drunk, Pete? What is the matter with you? That is _so_ out of line!"

"_I'm_ out of line!?" He snapped. "You're the one who's been partying all night with your _boyfriends! _How does that work—do they take turns!?"

It was fortunate that there was no car behind Sam at that moment; she'd have been rear-ended when she slammed on the brakes and stopped in the middle of the road.

"_What did you say?"_ she hissed. _"How dare you say something like that to me?!"_

"Sam..." he began, and his tone said he knew he'd gone too far.

"Shut up, Pete!" Her voice was cold as ice. "Get out of my house! Do not be there when I get home!" She hung up on his protest.

Her phone rang again almost immediately. She ignored it, as she sat there, fury and disbelief raging through her mind. A car honked its horn, and drove around her; a few moments later another did the same. It was several minutes before she had the presence of mind to pull over to the side of the street and put the car in park. The phone was ringing again; she reached over and shut it off.

Was that _Pete?_ The man who was supposed to _love her!_ He knew her— He knew—as close as she was to her team, she was faithful to _him_. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! She pounded on the steering wheel. How could he think such a thing—much less say it to her?! She had promised to marry him, given him her word; no matter how she felt, she would never betray him. He should _know_ that! He should trust her!

But he could still think that she— that she would—

He didn't really love her. He couldn't. Not if he could say... Everything he'd been saying all along, about love—it was all worth _nothing! Nothing! _

He thought she was a whore? What the hell?

_Because she had stayed all night with her team—with O'Neill. Her last chance to be near him. Her last chance to say what she really felt—and she hadn't. She hadn't! She had been faithful to Pete!_

She looked down at her left hand, at the ring she had allowed him to place there. A symbol of love and trust forever.

Her right hand moved over the left and yanked the ring from her finger. She threw it in the passenger seat of the car. Stared at it glinting there in the morning sun. Beautiful—and worthless! At last she picked it up and dropped it in the cup holder.

What was she thinking when she'd accepted Pete's ring? That she wanted love? A normal life? How could she, Sam Carter, ever expect to be satisfied with a 'normal life'? As for love... She had SG-1. The friendship, comradeship, team spirit—yes, love, however it was defined—those things she shared with them—with _him_—was worth so much more to her, just as it was, than the pathetic sham she felt for Pete. What _had_ possessed her?

She glanced in her side mirror, put the car into drive, and swung out into a U-ey, headed back the way she had come.

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**Sorry I made Pete into such a jerk—I know he wasn't **_**that **_**bad in the show—I just thought Sam needed to be shocked a bit.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks once again for the reviews! Especially the guests that I can't reply to directly. I appreciate every word!**

WE CAN GO FOR THE GLORY!

Jack was still sitting in front of his house when Sam pulled her car back into his driveway and shut off the engine. Opening the door, she got out and walked over and sat down on the step beside him.

"You forget something, Carter?"

"Yes, sir. I did."

In the morning light he saw the shine of tears on her cheeks. He frowned. "What's wrong, Sam?"

"I forgot what really matters," she whispered. She reached over and took his hand, pulled it into her lap and held it with both of hers, gazing down at them. He started for an instant, but then folded his fingers around hers; he did not miss the fact that her left hand was bare. "I need to tell you something, sir," she said.

"Anything. You know you can say anything to me," he replied softly.

"I made a big mistake, sir. Huge. A really dumb mistake."

"Carter, one thing you're not is dumb," he pointed out.

"Yes, I am." She shook her head. The tears were running down her face. "This was really dumb."

He put his free hand up and stroked her cheek. "Something happened in the ten minutes since you left here, Carter. You want to tell me what?"

"No. Not right now. Maybe later."

There was a pause. "Okay," he said. He drew her head down on his shoulder, felt her relax against him.

After a few moment, she began to speak softly. "I gave it all up. I resigned from the Air Force, and quit my job at the SGC. I quit the team. All the things that were important to me. It was a horrible, dumb mistake."

"Okay." He decided he would get nowhere pointing out again how far from dumb she was.

"So I have a question, sir."

"What's that, Carter?" His heart was starting to pound.

"Do you think I could take it all back?"

He closed his eyes and smiled, turning slightly away, in case she could see his face. The relief that washed over him was so great, it was a moment before he could speak. "You sure that's what you want, Sam?"

She nodded. "Yes. Why? Won't the Air Force take me back?" She sounded worried.

"I'm sure it will," he assured her. "Just maybe not right away."

"Oh." She relaxed again. "If there's a waiting period, or something... I guess I can live with that."

"Well, not exactly a waiting period..." he said. "But there is an 'or something'." He shifted position, turned her to face him, and grinned at the puzzled look on her face. "Maybe you could... umm... not sign up again immediately?"

"Why?"

"So I can do this..." He bent his head and kissed her.

The kiss was sweet and gentle, almost tentative. After a surprised gasp, Sam responded by wrapping her arms around Jack's neck. Her lips softened and parted, and he pulled her closer with a groan. It was several minutes before they separated. "Maybe you could wait a few weeks to rejoin..." He kissed her cheek, her throat. "...or even a few months..." His lips found her eyelids, his teeth nibbled at her ear. "No chain of command..." he whispered.

"You're not my CO..." she breathed, realization dawning. "Aaah..."

He claimed her mouth again for another long kiss. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do that..." he murmured. "I love you, Sam. I just want to get that said before something else comes along to get between us..."

"Nothing else is going to come between us," she replied. "I love you, too, sir...Jack." She smiled that amazing smile at him. "Jack! Jack! Jack!" She almost shouted his name. "I love being able to say that!"

He grinned back, looking into her eyes. "Well, then—let's go for it all..." he said. "Samantha Carter, will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" she cried, her eyes shining, flinging her arms around him again.

Behind them came the creak of the front door opening, and Daniel's grumpy mutter as he ran a hand through tousled hair. "What is all the noise out there? Sam? You still here..." His eyes popped as she planted a kiss on Jack's lips, and then scrambled to her feet to grab him in a huge hug. "What the... Did I miss something?"

"I believe we both did, DanielJackson," Teal'c said from behind him, as they watched Sam whirl back toward Jack, who was on his feet laughing by now, and throw herself into his arms.

Jack caught her to him, and grinned over her shoulder at his friends.

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**I think I have finally run out of appropriate Kris K song lines! Does that mean my story is finished?**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's been a while since I posted this story, but a couple of people seemed to think it needed some Pete-whumping. The idea sort of swirled around in my (admittedly slow) brain until I came up with this. **

I'LL GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

Daniel had a tough time getting his mouth shut, as he watched Jack and Sam embracing on the front step. Jack had a wide grin on his face, and Sam's arms were wrapped around Jack's neck so tight it made Daniel wonder why Jack wasn't choking to death.

Teal'c stepped down from the threshold to stand beside Daniel, his head tilted to one side and hands clasped behind his back.

"Guys!" Daniel finally said. "What just happened? What's going on?"

Sam unclamped herself from Jack enough to turn and face the others. "Jack asked me to marry him," she said, smiling. "And I said yes!"

"Oh!" Daniel's face was the picture of surprise.

"I see," Teal'c added.

Daniel turned to him in shock. "Really! You do? Well, I don't! What happened to... I mean, you're engaged to Pete—aren't you?" he asked Sam.

"Not anymore." She raised her left hand to show the absence of the ring.

"It appears that Samantha has altered her intentions," Teal'c pointed out.

"Teal'c's right," Sam said.

Daniel's brows came together. "Why? Not that I don't think it's a good idea..." he added quickly. "But what happened?"

Sam glanced around at the guys who were her best friends. Did she want to tell them, here and now, what Pete had said that had brought her to her senses? Maybe it wasn't necessary to go into details. Jack was looking at her curiously.

"I... I realized I'd made a mistake," she said at last. "When it came right down to the wire, I couldn't do it." She saw by the look in Jack's eyes that he didn't believe that was all there was to it; maybe she would tell him eventually—she wasn't sure.

"That's great!" Daniel said. "I'm really happy for you. But what about the regulations? Did somebody change them overnight?"

"Nope," Jack put in. "But she resigned, remember."

"Oh," Daniel said, understanding dawning. Then a grin spread across his face. "Cool!"

"Indeed," Teal'c added. "Excellent!"

Just then they heard the sound of a car approaching very fast. Sam knew what she would see, even before she turned around. Tires squealed as Pete braked to make the turn into Jack's driveway.

"I'll talk to him," Sam said. She headed toward the driveway where Pete had stopped his car behind hers, pausing to reach in her driver's side window and retrieve the ring from the console.

Pete was out of the car by the time she straightened. He came toward her slowly, casting a quick glance at the three men standing by the house.

"Sam..." he began. He raised his arms as if to reach for her, but her expression stopped him, and he dropped them back to his sides. "Sam. I'm really sorry for what I said. I'd just woken up, and you weren't there. I was angry..."

"Pete."

"You weren't there. I expected you home..."

"Pete, stop." She looked him in the eyes. "What you said to me was inexcusable—certainly not because you just woke up! So don't even try! But it made me realize that I had made a mistake."

"What..."

"I can't marry you, Pete."

"Sam! I said I'm sorry..."

"It's not because of that. I should never have accepted your ring." She held it out to him. "I have to give it back—and I'm sorry, too."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed. "The truth is, I don't love you enough, Pete. We'd never make it."

"I love _you _enough for both of us, Sam!" he declared.

"That's ridiculous. You can't love for somebody else. It doesn't work that way. Please take the ring back."

"Dammit, Sam!" He took a step nearer.

From the steps, Jack could not hear everything that was being said, but he heard Pete's raised voice, and saw him reach out and grasp Sam by the arms. Sam broke the grip and stepped back. Jack started forward, but was stopped by Teal'c's hand on his shoulder. "I believe Samantha can do this for herself, O'Neill."

Now Sam and Pete were speaking in lowered voices. She was holding the engagement ring out to him, and he was shaking his head, refusing to take it.

"Okay," she said finally. "If you don't want it..." She drew back her arm and tossed the ring out into the street. The look of shock on his face would have been comical in other circumstances. "We're done, Pete," Sam said firmly. "It should never have happened. It was my fault that it did, and I apologize for any hurt that it caused. But, we're done."

His features hardened into something brutal—an expression that took Sam by surprise; she would have never believed him capable of such a look. Seeing it, the three men of SG-1 took a collective step forward. Pete saw their movement out of the corner of his eye. "We'll continue this conversation when your—_friends_—aren't present," he said bitterly.

Teal'c moved faster than should have been possible, and was suddenly looming over Pete, positioned so that Sam was sheltered behind his shoulder. "No. You will _not_ continue this, PeteShanahan," he rumbled softly. "Samantha has said the two of you are done, and that is the end of it. Any attempt on your part to continue this conversation without her express permission will be viewed as a threat. Is that clear?"

By this time Jack was standing at Sam's opposite side, and Daniel beside Teal'c. Pete Shanahan liked to think of himself as a tough cop—but these men scared the shit out of him. He also knew that his status as a police officer cut no ice with them. O'Neill had been black ops and was now a general, for god's sake! Pete had found out way too much about him, with his clandestine background check, to ever want to take him on. He didn't know so much about Jackson, but the grim look on his face right then was enough to say he could not be discounted. And at this moment, Teal'c was just about the most frightening person Pete ever seen! Impotent fury coiled in his chest.

He looked at Sam, turning his rage toward her.

"Good-bye, Pete," was all she said.

After a moment, he spun and walked to his car, detouring out into the street to pick up the ring. Then he got onto the car and left, making the tires scream on the pavement.

"Guys," Sam admonished, as they watched the car vanish down the street, "I coulda taken care of it." But she was grinning.

"Yeah," Jack smirked at Teal'c. "What was that you said a minute ago about letting her handle it?"

"The situation changed," Teal'c replied. "His posture had become aggressive. I could not allow that to go unaddressed."

"Thank you, Teal'c," Sam said, reaching out to squeeze his arm. "Thanks, all of you."

"That's what friends are for," Daniel said.

"Ooh... triteness, anybody?" Jack quipped. Sam punched his shoulder, laughing.

"So," she said. "What do you say we get some breakfast? I can help—I'll mix the frozen orange juice!"

As it turned out, they went out to O'Neill's favorite diner to eat, since Jack literally had no breakfast food in the house _except_ frozen orange juice.

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**Do you think Pete got the message? **

**I'm not a violent person, and three against one really wouldn't have been fair. Besides, assaulting a police officer is serious, even if you can pull strings. And you noticed that Teal'c was careful not to phrase his warning as a direct threat.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow—I can't believe how many people have read this story in the past couple of days! Thank you—I hope you're enjoying it!**

**Thank you also to those who commented on the previous chapter. I hope this one gets your attention.**

WHO AM I?

"She gave me the ring back." Pete said to his contact. He'd made the call as soon as he left O'Neill's house, and they'd met in the park within half an hour.

The silver haired man turned angry eyes on Pete. His mouth thinned into a hard line. "I thought you had this under control, Shanahan. You told me she was a sure thing."

Pete met the other man's eyes coldly. "She changed her mind—said she 'didn't love me enough'." The last phrase was practically a snarl.

"You should have been able to convince her otherwise."

"SG1 was there. O'Neill and Jackson and the alien. They were ready to play serious hardball."

"And we thought you were an expert at that game," the man taunted.

"I'm not an idiot. You don't pay me enough to take on all three of them at once."

"We won't pay you at all if you can't deliver her."

"I'm working on it. Don't worry, I'll fix this."

"You'd better." The man stood up from the park bench. "There's too much riding on this plan for you to screw up now. We've got no use for incompetence." He walked away.

Sam would scarcely have known the person who sat on the bench and watched the silver haired man walk away. Gone was the round-shouldered, relaxed and genial awkwardness that characterized the Pete she knew. This Pete was harsh, self-contained and edged with ruthlessness. The tubby, shortish body had vanished with a change of posture—he was straight-backed now, slouch and paunch gone (son of a bitch, maintaining that slouch gave him a backache!), and in their place solid muscle and three extra inches of height. The babyface was immutable, but the expression was utterly changed, his eyes icy hard, the thin mouth not made for smiling.

He despised the character he'd been playing—how anyone could think that soft, sloppy fool would have survived as a big city cop was beyond comprehension! Amazingly no one had questioned it.

And the goofy grin and puppy-dog eyes! Good God—he'd had to practice that look in the mirror for a week before he knew he wouldn't slip up! It was a good thing he was pretending to be working in Denver instead of Colorado Springs—he couldn't have kept up this farce every day. _They_ had set it up so that his job looked legitimate to anyone checking up on him, but he didn't have to actually show up.

A lot of preparation had gone into this project. Becoming Mark Carter's new 'best friend' for example—that had taken a while, but was simple enough. Ostensibly he was in Carter's hometown recovering from an injury he received on duty. He'd used the intel _They_ had given him to make sure he showed up daily in a place that Mark frequented—a beach-front park where the Carters' retrievers were walked every evening. Pete was there on crutches, making himself very noticeable. He'd made friends with the dogs first—he was good with animals—and then struck up an acquaintance with Mark. Soon he and Mark 'discovered' they had a lot in common—born in the same state, military brats, attended the same university, even worked at the same kinds of jobs in their youth. Yes, the intel was very thorough!

A few days into their acquaintance Pete confided to Mark about his 'marriage breakup,' and how at first he'd been devastated, but now, two years along, he thought he was ready to look for a new relationship. He described his 'ideal woman' as tall, pretty, blond, smart (actually he preferred them dark, voluptuous, exotic, and not too brainy). Invited to dinner at the Carters' house one evening, he'd been 'captivated' by a photo of Mark's older sister. A week later, when he'd 'recovered' and been sent on 'temporary assignment' to Denver, Mark had been more than happy to arrange an introduction.

What a sap, Pete though derisively. Actually pushing his sister into the arms of a guy he'd known less than a month!

Sam had been cordial at first—for Mark's sake. And then she'd gradually become charmed by Pete; by his attentiveness, the flowers and candy; by the fact that he was obviously 'smitten' with her and would do anything for her. And by his 'normalness.' That was a laugh!

He'd played the part to the hilt—even making himself think like the other Pete would think. _That_ Pete would have been afraid of SG1, for instance. (Actually Jackson would be a cakewalk and he was sure he could take O'Neill—the man was old after all, and his own Special Forces training had been just as extensive as the General's. The alien would be a bigger problem.)

He'd made a fool of himself over Sam until she was convinced he was harmless, and had started to feel comfortable around him, and let down her guard. She got careless; like leaving her laptop downstairs when she went up to shower, or out to the store. He'd hacked into the SGC computer mainframe several times from her house to extract information that _They_ wanted. She might have been able to detect his incursions if she'd suspected anything, but he doubted it. He was good—even better than her, he thought. At any rate, she wasn't looking.

Once they were married and he got her away from Colorado Springs and her SGC contacts, then _They_ could have her. Was a kidnapping really a kidnapping if the victim wasn't even missed? And the records showed that she arrived at work every morning? (A fake job that _They_ had arranged) If her husband never reported her absence? She'd simply be hard to catch up with. And _They_ would have access to Sam Carter's brain.

He'd been pushing the dominant male persona a bit lately, and thought she was accepting it well. He'd be the one to make the decisions. She'd quit the Air Force. She had agreed to move to Denver. He was slowly adopting a 'what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine' attitude with her. It wasn't part of the plan—he admitted that he was just bored, and it was fun to see her accept his superiority over her and watch her let him get away with acting like a jerk. Like that stupid comment he'd made to her father that time about having one of 'those things' in his head. He'd thought she might call him on that, but she just looked embarrassed, and that's when he knew he had her!

But he'd miscalculated when he spoke to her on the phone this morning. He'd pushed a bit too hard and things had gotten out of hand. That last little innuendo had been too much. (He'd actually hoped there _was_ something going on between her and those guys, and that his remark would make her feel trashy!)

Still, he could fix it. He'd wait until this evening to call her. He'd grovel a little and admit to being jealous-women liked it when they thought you were a little jealous. And whine and maybe even shed a tear. He'd bring her flowers and tease her. She'd take him back. She did love him, after all, he just had to convince her that she loved him enough. Plus she had quit her job, left the Air Force, rented out her house starting in two weeks. What other choice did she have?

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**So. What do you think? Could this have been who Pete really was?**

**(Don't panic, Tel. Another chapter will be up very shortly.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks so much to everyone for reviewing, and favoriting/following! It's all very much appreciated. **

**Tel, this is for you. Not the wedding yet, but maybe they're headed in that direction. I hope you like it!**

EXCITED! A HAPPY CHAPTER!

Cadet Cassandra Fraiser rolled over and glared at the ringing phone on her bedside table. She shut her eyes and willed it to silence. It didn't work. Three rings. Four. At the fifth she gave in and reached for it, glancing at the time—six forty-nine! She brought the phone to her ear and pressed talk.

"This better be life or death," she snarled.

Sam's delighted laugh rang in her ears. "Oh, goodie! I woke you up."

"Huh! And why is that a reason for rejoicing?" Cassie demanded.

"Just wanted to invite you out to breakfast."

"Are you serious? You know I never eat breakfast! I have an exam at ten and I was up til two studying. So the answer is NO!"

"Is she givin' you grief?" said another voice, and Cassie realized they were on speaker. "Gimme that phone. Cadet Fraiser!" he barked, loud enough to make her jump. "Atten-SHUN!"

"Jack! What on earth are you up to?"

"That's General O'Neill to you, Cadet!"

She could hear Daniel and Sam laughing hysterically—and was that actually a rumble of amusement from Teal'c?

"My turn," Daniel demanded. "Cassie—get yourself down to MacGyer's diner right now! We got news... Chop chop!"

"Indeed, Cassandra," Teal'c added. "You will not want to skip breakfast this morning." The merriment in the background reached new heights.

"Cassie..." She made out Sam's voice, laced with giggles. "You gotta come."

"Sam! Are you guys drunk... at this hour?"

"No alcohol has been consumed this morning," Teal'c assured her. "Only much frozen orange juice.

The hilarity exploded again.

"Come on down, Cassie," Jack said, finally getting control of himself. "It's important. Want me to come get you?"

"No." She sighed. "You've ruined my sleep anyway. I'll be there in twenty."

Twenty-three minutes later Cassie parked her motorcycle in front of the diner that the team had dubbed _MacGyver's._ It's owner's real name was McGivens, but even some of the other patrons had picked up on the nickname.

She pulled open the front door and looked around. The team was sitting in a booth at the end of the aisle, and she headed that way. Daniel and Teal'c were facing the door and Daniel spotted her and waved. Jack and Sam turned, smiling and calling a greeting. Jack had his arm around Sam's shoulders.

She was almost to the booth when that registered.

_What?_ _Jack had his arm around Sam's shoulders! _And not just casually along the back of the seat, either. _He was holding her—and she was leaning slightly into him!_

Cassie stopped at the end of the table, and glared down at them. "Okay—what's going on?"

Sam giggled and straightened, but Jack did not drop his arm.

"Grab a seat, kiddo," Jack invited.

She narrowed her eyes. She could see that Daniel was busting to tell her, but Jack was giving him a warning look. She reached over to the nearest table and grabbed a chair, swinging it around to the booth, and sat down. "Okay. I'm sitting. What's. Going. On?"

"Guess what..." Daniel began.

"DanielJackson!" Teal'c raised a warning hand—almost as if he intended to muffle Daniel's with it! "This is Samantha's news to tell."

Daniel clamped his lips together with his teeth and growled with impatience.

Cassie turned to Sam. "Well? Spill it!"

Instead of answering, Sam took her left hand out of her lap, and wiggled the bare ring finger in Cassie's face.

"Where's Pete's ring?" Cassie broke into a giant grin. "Did you give it back? Did you break up with him?" she cried. She was so excited she was bouncing in her chair.

"I did!" Sam replied at the same moment Daniel yelled, "Yes!" And Jack's huge smile became gigantic! Teal'c looked very satisfied.

Cassie squealed, and launched herself at Sam. Of course Jack was in the way, so she wound up sprawled across his chest, knocking over sugar shakers and coffee cups, before she could reach to get Sam in a strangle-hold. By now everyone was cracking up again.

"Yes!" Cassie screamed. "Yay! It's about time you came to your senses!"

The other customers in the diner were looking on and chuckling, and Angus McGivens stuck his head out of the kitchen to see what was going on. Peggy, the redheaded waitress, just shrugged and snickered.

Sam was starting to make choking noises, only half in jest, and Cassie loosened her arms a little, and kissed Sam on both cheeks. Then she turned and hugged Jack, and then Daniel and Teal'c, and danced around in a circle, knocking over her chair, before she finally righted it and sat down again.

"I've never seen anybody so happy over a break-up," Daniel said at last.

"Do we dare tell her the rest of the news?" Jack asked, looking sideways at Sam. "Hey, Angus—do you have damage insurance on this place?" he called, causing their audience even more amusement.

"What? There's more?" Cassie demanded. Then she remembered Jack's arm around Sam and shrieked. "You two are together?! Is that it? Is it? Ohmigod!"

When Sam and Jack both nodded Cassie stared at them for a stunned moment, then clapped her hand to her mouth and burst into tears. The others froze in shock as she covered her face and sobbed uncontrollably.

After a moment Teal'c reached out to put a hand on the girl's shoulder. She turned toward him, and he just had time to swing toward the outside of the seat as she threw her arms around his neck and crawled into his lap. For a full minute no one moved, and the only sound in the diner was Cassie's sobbing.

Jack's expression had morphed into one of anxiety. He turned to Sam. "I thought she'd be happy..."

"I am happy, you fool!" Cassie blubbered. "I've never been... so happy in all my life... It's the best news in the world. Finally. Finally! It shoulda happened years ago. What took... you guys so long?" Of course all of that didn't come out at once, or very clearly, since her face was still buried in Teal'c's chest—but they all got the gist. The tension around the table eased in sighs of relief.

And then another sound could be heard—a low rumble, as Teal'c began to shake with mirth. For a moment the shock was just as deep as it had been at Cassie's outburst. But then she started to giggle through her tears, and soon they were all chuckling, snorting or howling with glee once more.

It took a while for the cachinnation to die down.

"When did all this happen?" Cassie demanded a bit later, after she had made a trip to the ladies' room and washed her face. "How? What about those nasty rules?"

"This morning," Daniel said. "It happened this morning!"

"Seriously? It's only 7:30 now!"

"It was...an eventful morning," Teal'c confirmed.

"I quit the Air Force, remember," Sam said. "That means we're not bound by the rules anymore."

"Right!" Cassie said. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I expect I'll join up again," Sam said casually.

"What? But then you'll just be back in the same fix!"

"Oh, we'll get married first," Jack put in with a smirk. "That way the regs won't apply."

"Yes!" Cassie shrieked and pumped her fists in the air. "I'll help you plan the wedding! Where do you want to have it? How about the Cadet Chapel at the Academy? It's so gorgeous in there! Perfect! It's so beautiful you don't even need flowers. I went to a wedding there last winter. One of my classmates. It was awesome! Have you ever been inside—of course you have... And when do you want to get married? Oh, golly, you better make reservations right away—I'll bet there are lots of weddings there..."

"Cassie..."

"I'll call and check on available dates. You're both eligible because you're Academy graduates, so that's not a problem. What are you going to wear? Have you thought about the dress? We can start working on the guest list today, if you want... Well, I'll have to take my exam first. Darn. How'm I gonna keep my mind on poly sci _now?"_

"Cassie!"

She jumped and looked around to see who'd spoken her name. Jack was grinning at her. "One thing at a time," he said. "How about we order some breakfast?"

They looked at the menu and ordered an assortment of pancakes and waffles, eggs, toast, sausage, and bacon, oatmeal and fruit, milk, juice and coffee. Cassie talked continually about dresses and flowers and bridesmaids, receptions and cake...

"Cake?" Jack's ears perked up. They'd been letting her babble on for over half an hour. "Can we have chocolate with chocolate frosting?"

"I don't see why not," Sam said. "I guess we can have whatever kind of cake we want." Her eyes twinkled. "Within earthly parameters, at least..."

Daniel smothered a chortle, and Teal'c... tittered?

Jack squeezed his eyes shut. "How long are you guys gonna keep throwing that in my face? It's been eight years, for cryin' out loud!"

Puzzled, Cassie looked from one to the other. "What?"

Now was probably not the time or place to explain about Kinthia and the marriage cake, Sam decided. "I'll tell you some other time," she promised with a wink.

"Okay," Cassie said, getting that this had to do with the stargate. "Anyway, I saw the most beautiful cakes online the other day," she went on. "This place in England. Artie Cakes, I think it was called. Check out the website. You would not believe what those people can do with cake...!" And she was off again.

By 8:30, they had demolished large amounts of breakfast foods... and Cassie was still talking! Between serving up orders, Peggy was hanging out in the booth next to theirs, listening in, and several of the regular customers were gathered around, smiling and occasionally making comments and suggestions.

At 9:00 Sam called a halt to the gathering, pointing out that Cassie's exam was only an hour away... and she was sure _some_ people had jobs they needed to go to. So they reluctantly broke up. Cassie hugged everybody, including Peggy and a couple of strangers, before jumping onto her bike and heading back to the Academy, although she said she was sure to flunk this exam. Daniel and Sam had each brought their cars, and Jack his truck, and so they separated, Daniel and Teal'c heading for the SGC, Jack back to his place before going to the Mountain, and Sam to her house.

Sam was smiling to herself as she drove. She would see Jack—and probably Daniel, Teal'c and Cassie, too!—tonight and they would start to make plans. She hadn't really thought about the wedding yet—was it even three hours since she accepted Jack's proposal?—but Cassie had set her imagination in motion—even if some of the girl's ideas were a little extravagant. It would be fun to spend the day thinking about it all, though... Did she want the full blown, white dress and tux treatment...? How many people to invite...?

Funny how she was actually getting all excited about this, but planning her wedding to Pete had been a complete nuisance. That reminded her—she needed to cancel _those _arrangements...

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


End file.
